Locking device for automobiles.



W. L. MGCRAY. LOOKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5, 1914.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

WILLIAM L. MCCRAY, F BLUEFIELDA'WEST VIRGINIA LOCKING DEVICE FORAUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Main 16 1915;

Application filed December 5, 1914. SeriaI No. 875,631.

To all tohom it may concern Be 1t known that I, ruman L. MC-CRAY, acitizen of the United citates, residing at Bluefield, in the county ofMercer and State g of \Vest Virginia, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Locking; DO",

vices for Automobiles, oi whichythe following is aspecification,reference. being had therein to the accompanying drawing.0; This invention relates )articularly to devices for locking theswinging controller lover of automobiles, the general object bef ingtoprovide a simple and ellective device p which can be readily attached,even by un- 5 skilled persons, to automobiles in use, and

i which cannot be removed or rendered in- Y aefiective by the hands orsmall appliances, onin other words, without making it plain any observerthat wrong is being done. A other object is to jprovide devices such atlwhen not holding the controller .lever t ey are practically out of theway, although s ill securely attached tothe'vehicle. itle these objectsin view, abar is pivot g5 al y attached to the fixed portionof thevehicle in such manner that while normally .pegdant it may swing intoplace alongside th lever and be locked thereto to prevent its movementin eithendirection.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows the devices in sideelevation and in operative position holding; the controller leveragainst swinging. view of the same devices. Fig. 3 is a perspective viewshowing a slide member seen also in Figs. 1

.fied bar and slide. 1.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3,,A represents the 40 controller lever of anautomobilmB a por-' tion of the seat or other fixed part, and C a forkedbar pivoted near one end to the part B to, swingin a plane substantiallyparallel to the plane of movement of the leven'so that th'edn-anches ofthe barmay and 2. Figs. land 5 show in elevation and plan, respectively,a n1odi-' Fig. 2 is a plan-.

be brought uponoppositc-sidcs of the latter. For pivotallyvsupportingthe bar, a plate D 1 from fwhich a long staple'E projects perpeii'di'nlarly, is fixedto thesupport B, preferzibl by screws or bolts whichcannot be leunscreiized from their inner'ends. The outer p ortion of thestaple'passes through ahole in the bar, at some distance from its end,and forms the pivot. on which the bar swings ireel'v, On theintermediate portion of the stapli i slides a loose plate or guard F,and

the parts are so. proportioned that when the lzar raised to horizontalposition its end port on (1 holds the loose plate in such proxiuuty tothe plate D that access to the screw or bolt heads is prevented, whileif the bar be in vertical position and the plate F be moved outward, thefastenings are accessible.

Upon the forked portion of the bar is mounted a i'rictionally held slideG of genera'l U-shape and preferably of steel. This slide is of suchlength that when it is moved outward until the web connecting its twobranches meets the lever its free ends project beyondthe leverfar-enough to permit the hail of a common lock (2 to pass throughsuitable holes'in both branches of both the slide and the forked bar.The slide-is thus locked to the bar' and the lever is securely heldbetween the lock bail and the web at the inner end ofthe slide so thatit can swing in neither direction. Preferably the fork is made long. andprovided with bail-receiving apertures'at short intervals, so that thedevice ma'y. beaised, unchanged, upon different vehicles where thedistance of the lever. from a convenient point of support for the leverpivot varies greatly, the slide being moved along the bar until itsapertures G rcgister with the proper apertures G in the fork.

- When the lever is to be freed, the lock is removed and the forked bardrops to vertichain I, the chain and its fastening serving nalso tobarremoval'ot the slide from the fork. In this case no portion of thedevice,

unless it be the lock key, when a key lock is cal position, indicated indotted lines in used instead of a combination lock, can be de- Y tachedor lost.

The construction may be varied in different ways while preserving manyadvantages-0f the invention. For example, a simple bar 0 Figs. 4,5, mayreplace the forked bar, the slide-Gain such case having one branchreplacedby'a'hook G.

What I claim is:

1. In devices of the class described, the combination with a pivotedlover, of a bar pivoted to swinginto position transverse to andalongside said lever and provided with devices to prevent its movinglaterally from the lever and to prevent the lever from swinging in onedirection. and a lock adapted to engage the bar and prevent the swingingof the lever in the opposite direction.

2. The combination with a pivoted lever, of a normally pendant barpivoted to swing 'to a position transverse to and alongside the lever, aslide adjustable along the bar and adapted to embrace one side of thelever and obstruct its swinging except inone direction, and a lock forsecuring the slide to the bar and itself preventing the swinging of thelever in said one direction.

3. The combination with a pivoted lever, of a transversely perforatedbar pivoted near one end to swing in the plane of the lever andhavingits end portion forked to embrace the latter, a transversely perforatedU-shaped slide mounted upon the fork to prevent the swinging of thelever in one direction, and a lock adapted to secure the slide to thefork and bar the swinging oi the lever in the opposite direction.

4. Clhe combination with a pivoted lever, of a bar provided with aseries of transverse perforations and pivoted to swing to a positiontransverse to and along-side the lever, a transversely perforated slideadjustable along the bar and adapted to embrace one side of the lex'erand. prevent the lateral separation of the two and the swinging of thelever inone direction, and a lock arranged to pass through theperforations in the slide and bar, obstructing the swinging of the leverin the opposite direction and locking the slide to the bar.

5. 'llie combination With a pivoted forked lever, of a plate secured toa fixed support by suitable fastenings, a second movable plate 4 adaptedto cover and protect said fastenings, a normally pendant forked leverpivotally supported from the first mentioned plate to swing to positiontransverse to and embracing said lever and adapted when so swung to holdsaid second plate in position for protecting said fastening's, a slideadjustable along the forked portion of the bar to embrace oneside of thelever, and a lock adapted to secure the slide to the bar whilepreventingthe swinging of the lever in a direction away from the sideembraced by the slide.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. MGCRAY. Vitnesses M. K. HANNON, SAML. W. WILLIAMs.

